


if we're meant to (i'll meet you there)

by theriveroflight



Series: Future [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Aged-Up Character(s), Future Fic, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-07 10:57:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21456925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theriveroflight/pseuds/theriveroflight
Summary: So you'll go your wayAnd I'll go mineAnd if we're meant to,I'll meet you thereWe can't speed up the hands of time,But if we're meant toI'll meet you there- 5 Seconds of Summer, "Meet You There"
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Future [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1546774
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	if we're meant to (i'll meet you there)

**Author's Note:**

> Future fic. Characters are 17-18, about to graduate out of lycee (French high school, basically) and go to university.
> 
> French spellings for Nathalie and Chat. But not Hawk Moth, because "Butterfly" doesn't exactly make for evil villain material.

“I won’t be here for much longer,” he says to her one day on patrol. Ladybug looks stunned at the notion, and he almost regrets his choice of university.

“Why?” she asks. There’s a certain amount of hurt that she isn’t disclosing, but he won’t say anything. That’s just how their relationship works.

They trust each other complicitly - but they don’t really talk about their emotions often, choosing instead to exercise them out and banter until neither of them are really hurt by the realities behind the masks.

“I’m going stateside for uni. West coast.”

“Oh. I know someone else who’s going stateside, too.” She doesn’t say who, and he silently thanks whoever’s out there for the fact that she doesn’t question it.

“So where are you going?”

“Staying right here in Paris. I can’t tell you too much, but Paris is the city where I need to be if I want to do the job I want - and at least one of us needs to stay. I don’t know about the other heroes, but I think Rena is also going stateside, Carapace is staying, Chloe’s leaving for god-knows-what, Viperion isn’t going anywhere, Pegasus is going to England, and I don’t know about Roi Singe. Oh, and Kagami isn’t exactly the most...reliable, considering that she’s travelling the world a lot to compete.” She rattles off the other heroes like a list, and he feels a twinge of sadness; was he really so easily replaced?

“Wait, how do you know all this?”

“Well, everyone knows about Chloe and Queen Bee. Anyone who was paying attention knows Kagami is Ryuuko. I know Rena and Carapace’s identities because I gave the miraculous to them, and well...I do know who Viperion is, but it’s complicated. And you were there for Pegasus. I don’t know Roi Singe, haven’t needed the Monkey in a while. Master was the one who gave him that one.” He realizes that Ladybug is a lot more involved with their side lives than he is. And he cares - but for a different reason from her, probably. She sees it as a duty, something that ties her down and keeps her in the city when perhaps her heart roams elsewhere. But he sees it as an escape, something that can carry him towards the future and away from his father. A freeing influence, not a prison. He’d be willing to bet that Ladybug has a significantly better civilian life than he does.

“What about the others?”

“I don’t really know about them or whether they’re going or staying. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see for later. I’ll miss you, though. Just because some of the others are here doesn’t mean that they can  _ replace  _ you, kitty. So maybe we’ll see each other again, maybe we won’t. But I’ll remember, and I think the city will, too.”

“I think,” he takes a deep breath, “I should tell you who I am, especially since I’m going to be away for awhile. You could give the miraculous to someone else, you could give it back to whoever distributes them, I don’t know - but just. I think it’d be for the best.” He doesn’t release the transformation, though - not until she agrees.

She’s thinking it over, and Adrien almost wonders, almost asks the right question, but chooses not to ask them.

“I think it’d be for the best,” she finally responds, echoing his own words - though he can see that she isn't confident in her decision.

He jumps, bringing himself down with the staff. She follows him down, and he knows that she trusts him and his decision making skills, even when they’ve been dubious at best and failure at worst.

Adrien takes a steadying breath.

This  _ is _ the right decision.

“Plagg, claws in,” he whispers, and there’s a flash of green light.

“Adrien?” she says, shocked.

“You know who I am?” he says and then remembers  _ Oh, wait, model with advertising all over Paris. _

“Well- uh- your face is plastered all over Paris, it’d be hard to  _ not  _ know who you are,” she jokes. The joke doesn’t quite land, though, and it’s weird. And the stuttering leads him to believe that he  _ does  _ know Ladybug personally.

But he won’t go looking for her.

“You’ve met the one who gave us them, right?” The words chosen by her are purposefully cryptic, but he knows exactly who she’s talking about.

“Yeah - you introduced me to him, remember?” It was a long time ago. He knows.

The sunset is kind of blinding his eyes, even in the shelter of the alley. He’s facing towards the streets outside, and Ladybug is still shorter than he is (though both of them have grown since fourteen).

“I have to talk to him first  _ before _ I make any promises about taking the Miraculous and giving it to someone that I can trust as a temporary user. I have to secure someone that I can trust. Or maybe he’ll find one.” Ladybug seems firm.

“So, I will be giving it up?”

“The fight against Hawk Moth isn’t over. You can always see Plagg again during your breaks, but I can’t…you’ll be so far away.” He senses that she’s trying not to attach something associated with Chat Noir to that.

“I...I understand, m’lady.”

“You don’t have to part with him yet, though. I understand that you and your kwami are very close,” she says.

“I’m surprised he’s been so quiet,” he replies.

“Best of luck in the States. I hear it’s a lot more free there, and maybe you can finally get away from your father.”

She always manages to get down to the sensitive topics somehow and make him not care.

“That’s why I chose there. I could have chosen somewhere closer, but I wanted to get as far away from here as possible. I know I should in theory stay because of this whole  _ being Chat Noir  _ thing, and I feel selfish, but I need some time to explore for myself what it’s like to just be  _ Adrien  _ without Gabriel.”

“You’re not being selfish for wanting a life of your own. I mean, if I were you, I’d probably choose to get away. Your father literally abuses you. I don’t blame you for wanting to get out of there while you can.”

“Yeah.” He sighs. “Thank you again, Ladybug.”

She hugs him. “I’m going to miss you.”

“Me too,” he says, hugging her back.

They stay embraced like that for longer than they should, but in the end they do separate.

“Plagg, claws out.” A flash of light, and Chat Noir is standing there instead.

“I’ll talk to Fu tonight, next patrol or akuma I’ll let you know what the plan is.” She hooks her yo-yo onto a nearby roof, preparing to take herself up.

He takes his staff from his belt. “Sounds good.” She tugs on the string, and she’s off.

He watches her go before taking himself up onto the roof and travelling back to his room.


End file.
